Written question asked by Norman Lamb (Liberal Democrat) on Tuesday, 29 October 2002, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 4 November 2002. It was answered by Clare Short (Labour) on Monday, 4 November 2002 on behalf of the Department for International Development.

Dept for International Development

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether those organisations undertaking the clearance of unexploded bomblets following the use of cluster bombs in Afghanistan have the financial and technical resources necessary to maintain current clearance rates.

Answer: Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether those organisations undertaking the clearance of unexploded bomblets following the use of cluster bombs in Afghanistan have the financial and technical resources necessary to maintain current clearance rates. [78850] Clare Short: DFID's demining adviser has just returned from leading a mission to Afghanistan. The purpose was to analyse the effectiveness of the United Nations Mine Action Programme for Afghanistan (MAPA), and the Mine Action Centre for Afghanistan (MACA) which is responsible for overall planning and co-ordination. I await the results of this evaluation. However on my recent visit to Afghanistan it was frequently suggested that demining was being organised in an exemplary fashion. DFID is allocating £1.8 million for humanitarian mine action in Afghanistan in the current financial year.

Secondary information